IT TAKES A WHOLE LOT OF MONEY

By Celia Cohen
Grapevine Political Writer

Winning a majority in the state House of
Representatives does not come cheap. Better budget
upwards of $1 million.

Control of the 41-member chamber will be prime this
campaign season, just as it was in the 2008 election,
when the majority flipped from Republican to Democrat
for the first time in 24 years. It gave the Democrats
the entire Delaware General Assembly.

The fight for the House majority last time raged over
13 critical districts arrayed from Claymont to Gumboro.
The candidates collectively raised more than $1.3
million to pay for it.

The House currently stands at 24 Democrats and 17
Republicans. For the Republicans to take back the
majority, they not only have to oust four Democrats but
also hold on to the seats of three Republicans who are
retiring.

It is going to take a lot of $600 checks -- the
maximum contribution for legislative candidates. Here is
a look back at the campaign treasuries in the 2008 races
that determined the majority and some lessons that can
be taken away.

The tally of contributions was compiled by the
National Institute on Money in State Politics, a
nonpartisan and nonprofit organization based in Montana.
The figures do not include the extracurricular financing
by the parties or political action committees that aided
the candidates. The amounts are rounded, and
incumbents are listed in bold.

District

Winner

$$ Raised

Loser

$$ Raised

Total

7th

Bryon Short

D

$104,300

Jim Bowers

R

$99,000

$203,300

41st

John Atkins

D

$85,600

Greg Hastings

R

$76,300

$161,900

32nd

Brad Bennett

D

$65,900

Donna Stone

R

$75,100

$141,000

18th

Mike Barbieri

D

$23,700

Terry Spence

R

$85,800

$109,500

9th

Dick Cathcart

R

$78,800

Rebecca Walker

D

$30,600

$109,400

21st

Mike Ramone

R

$38,500

Pat Creedon

D

$62,500

$101,000

31st

Darryl Scott

D

$46,800

Nancy Wagner

R

$46,600

$93,400

33rd

Bob Walls

D

$70,000

Jack Peterman

R

$18,800

$88,800

35th

Dave Wilson

R

$38,400

Aaron Chaffinch

D

$38,800

$77,200

29th

Pam Thornburg

R

$38,700

Trey Paradee

D

$36,000

$74,700

10th

Dennis Edward Williams

D

$34,600

Bob Valihura

R

$34,900

$69,500

27th

Earl Jaques

D

$24,300

Vince Lofink

R

$38,200

$62,500

8th

Quinn Johnson

D

$23,100

Martha Sturtevant

R

$22,400

$45,500

Targeted incumbents should prepare to out-raise
their opponents robustly. Greg Hastings did not,
Nancy Wagner did not, Bob Valihura did not, even though
they knew the Democrats were coming after them. This is
disarmament. They all lost.

Self-reliance counts, too. John Atkins got
himself forced out of the House for bad conduct, then
switched parties from Republican to Democrat to try to
win his seat back. This was not exactly a recipe for
raising contributions. Instead, he put in $53,000 of his
own money, which paid for the bulk of his campaign and a
return trip to Dover.

Self-defense starts at $70,000. Incumbents
ought to bank at least that much if they are expecting a
serious challenge. Dick Cathcart and Bob Walls did, and
it brought both of them 54 percent of the vote.

Not that there are any guarantees. Donna Stone
and Terry Spence had that kind of money and still turned
into ex-representatives, Spence, who was the House
speaker, collected $85,800 but lost, anyway, to a
candidate with only $23,700 in his campaign account.
Sometimes it is just time to go.

Sometimes it works out. Greg Lavelle stashed
away $74,900. It was the charm that kept him free from
anything but a token Democratic opponent in a bad year
for Republicans. Lavelle took 63 percent of the vote in
his Brandywine Hundred district and ended 2008 with 65K
in the bank, ready to do it all over in 2010.